Horrible Murder in McDowell County — On Sunday there was discovered in Mill creek, near Old Fort, the body of a negro man, named Chas. SPENCER, with his neck broken and his skull crushed.  There is little or no doubt but that the negro came to his death by violence.  The following, from this mornings Advance, gives the facts in the premises, which are in keeping with the information we have obtained.

SPENCER was employed on the railroad as a section hand, and came up to the town of Old Fort, Thursday evening, where he met two young men by the name of YARBOROUGH, both of whom were drinking to excess.  At the earnest solicitation of these  young men, SPENCER accompanied them home.  One of them says that he came with SPENCER a portion of the way back and left him.  The next day, Friday, he was not seen by any of the citizens in the neighborhood, and Saturday his family became uneasy and instituted a search for him.  The body was found Sunday morning, with the neck broken and a portion of the skull bone broken in, lying in the edge of a creek, about 75 yards below where YARBBOROUGH says he parted with him.

A coroner’s jury was summoned Sunday and an inquest held.  The evidence disclosed the facts above stated.  The jury returned a verdict that the deceased came to his death at the hands of party or parties to them unknown.

The Asheville citizen. (Asheville, N.C.), 22 April 1885. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020682/1885-04-22/ed-1/seq-1/>